Shift 2 TUNING TIPS - All Episodes

From April 28,2011

Original Article

SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED Tuning Tips: Aerodynamics


Note: This blog is intended to be helpful to those that want to get into tuning in SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED but aren't sure where to start. It will get more advanced as it progresses. If you would like to see certain features in the blog, or have questions you'd like answered, please add them in the comments.

One of the most important terms in racing verbiage is downforce, which is a major part of your car’s aerodynamics, and is vital whether you are cornering hard or trying to reach top speed.

In SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED, controlling your car at 200mph is a must. No one wants to scratch that beautiful paint, right? At high speed, adding downforce can certainly help you corner. What you’re doing is pushing the front or rear of the car into the ground, giving you more traction.

With the lovely BMW 3.0 CSL Gr. 5 that came in this week’s Legends DLC, adjusting the aerodynamics can make a big difference. By increasing front and rear downforce, you gain much more grip when cornering, but trim your top speed because you’ve created more drag.

The opposite is true as well. I set the front and rear downforce to 0.00, and the top speed increased about 4-5mph; however, these settings made the car difficult to control, making the tracks feel more like a skating rink than tarmac.

Setting the front to 0.00 and the rear to 10.00 gave me loads of understeer, making it nearly impossible to turn, whereas dialing the front up to 10.00 and the rear to 0.00 gave the car massive oversteer. It handled just like a drift car (hint hint!).

In the end, I settled on a front downforce of 8.00 and rear of 5.00. I prefer a little less traction in the back as it allows me to get the tail around on highly technical tracks.

As you can see, large changes to the aerodynamics can cause problems; however, adding or removing a little downforce can shred at least a second off your lap time.

General Rules:

-Increased downforce (Front or Rear): more grip, less speed
-Decreased downforce (Front or Rear): less grip, more speed
-Lots of front, none in the rear: Massive oversteer, drifting
-Minimal front, lots of rear: Understeer, push
-Small adjustments equal faster lap times

April 29,2011

Original Article

SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED Tuning Tips: Stance



Note: This blog is intended to be helpful to those that want to get into tuning in SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED but aren't sure where to start. It will get more advanced as it progresses. If you would like to see certain features in the blog, or have questions you'd like answered, please add them in the comments.

While shooting sparks may look cool when they’re shooting up from behind your car in SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED, chances are you’re losing valuable speed at the same time. That being said, if you can minimize bottoming out while still keeping the car low, you’re in the best position to succeed.

Many of the body kits put your front splitter and rear diffuser a mere inch from the ground. Lowering your stance too far in the front or rear can result in one of those pieces scraping the asphalt during weight transfers or a bump on the track. A low center of gravity is paramount when cornering. If your car is as high as it can go, there will be an increase in body roll and a lack of stability, which will certainly harm you when cornering.

The Audi R8 Coupe 4.2 FSI quattro is one of the most balanced cars in the game, but set the front and rear ride height to 10.00 and all of a sudden, you’ll find yourself fighting the car to stay on the track. Take them both down to 0.00 and I found I had mixed results. The car handled a little better, but any bump on the track caused sparks to fly out, essentially indicating extra friction and drag that I didn’t need.

Stance can be important with any car, but I wouldn’t recommend tinkering much with it. Making a minor change, then adjusting the bump stops is the best combination I’ve found to keep the center of gravity low without bottoming out. If you’d like increased grip, lower the front to about 2.00-4.00 and that should be plenty.

General Rules:
-Raised Stance: More acceleration, increased body roll, less traction
-Lower Stance: Better center of gravity, more grip, chance of bottoming out
-Don’t lower to less than 2.00
-If front and rear aren’t the same, keep the front lower than the rear

From May 5,2011

Original Article

SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED Tuning Tips: Alignment



Note: This blog is intended to be helpful to those that want to get into tuning in SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED but aren't sure where to start. It will get more advanced as it progresses. If you would like to see certain features in the blog, or have questions you'd like answered, please add them in the comments.

Usually when you hear about alignment, it’s because you’re at the body shop and they’re explaining to why your car is pulling to the left. In racing, changing your alignment can mean better acceleration, steering, or braking.

Steering lock is one of the more interesting changes you can make to your car in SHIFT 2 UNLEASHED. By lowering it completely to 0.00, you have essentially eliminated any chance of turning whatsoever. In the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, doing this turned the car into a freight train, plowing me straight into the tire wall.

That being said, if you don’t like the twitchy, over-responsive feeling you get when trying to make small steering adjustments on straights, trim your steering lock down to 19.00. If you go lower than that, you won’t be able to maneuver on highly technical tracks. The steering lock is certainly one I would recommend tuning to your taste.

The caster angle is one that I found really didn’t have that much of an effect unless your car is pushing 200+ mph down the backstretch. Even then, the differences are minimal. Caster angle ultimately aids in straight line driving, but it wasn’t really that noticeable in the Veyron. That being said, somewhere in the 8.00 to 10.00 range is where I would keep it.

The heart of adjusting your alignment lies with the toe angle and the camber. They both play a crucial role in your handling, acceleration and braking. Tweaking the front and rear toe angle changes the horizontal angle of the wheels, essentially setting the front part of the tires closer or further apart. Toe-out will increase responsiveness, but as always, do it in moderation. The Bugatti feels natural with toe angles of 19.00 in the front and 21.00 in the rear.

Front and rear camber adjusts the vertical angle of the wheel, with negative camber increasing cornering ability. This is because if you tilt the top of the wheel inward (negative), when the car turns and the weight rolls to that side, more rubber will meet the road.

On the other hand, positive camber will improve your acceleration and braking. I don’t have exact figures as it’s tough to measure a 0-60 in a Bugatti, but after maxing-out both Front and Rear camber to 36.00, the increased acceleration was definitely noticeable. Keep your cambers a touch on the higher side, with the rear always about 5-10 higher than the front. It’s important to keep traction in the front wheels!

The next Tuning Tips blog will be the final one, but stay tuned (get it?) because we’ve got something great planned to follow it up!

General Rules:

Steering Lock:
-Adjust to your own comfort
-Lower - No response
-Higher - More response

Caster Angle:
-For higher speed cars
-Aids in high speeds, set lower for more control

Toe Angle:
-Adjusts distance between the front of the tires
-Toe-In - Better straight line
-Toe-Out - Improves responsiveness
-Keep somewhere in the middle, 19.00-21.00

Camber:
-Adjusts vertical angle of wheel
-Negative camber leads to better cornering
-Postive camber leads to better acceleration
-Keep rear angle 5.00-10.00 higher than front